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May 22, 2004
Have the media been overplaying
Have the media been overplaying the Abu Ghraib prison abuse story? I'm beginning to think so. Two events in particular struck me over the past few days.
First, on Thursday the Washington Post decided to run, above the fold, new abuse pictures. They have also obtained video of soldiers stacking naked prisoners into a pyramid, and are streaming it from their website.
Second was the differing coverage that broadcast CNN and Fox gave the story that same day. I had a chance to watch each channel for a few hours and the difference in coverage was stark. CNN showed pictures and gave a lot of coverage to the story. Fox analyzed not the prison abuse but the way the media covered it. Several commentators compared coverage of the prison abuse story with other stories of the day, and there can be no doubt that much of the media is obsessed with the story to the exclusion of much else. Too obsessed.
Polls support this. A Fox News poll shows that 54% of Americans "...disapprove of the media's decision to release the pictures of treatment of prisoners at Abu Ghraib...." 59% believe that "...widespread media coverage of prisoner treatment in Iraq is responsible for triggering new retaliation against Americans." Jennifer Harper wrote a very good story about how viewers are seeing an agenda in the coverage in yesterday's Washington Times.
For how long with the Post run new pictures? If I was cynical, which of course I never am, I'd say until November 4.
Posted by Tom at May 22, 2004 9:12 PM
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